Selby shines on first day of Group Three - 23/01/2012

World number one Mark Selby was in sensational form in the latest day of Championship League Snooker.

Selby won all of his three matches in the opening day of the third group of the event, which is streamed live on a number of betting websites and acts as a qualifier for the Premier League Snooker competition.

The Jester from Leicester, who lost in the Group Two final two weeks ago, beat Mark Davis 3-0, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry 3-2 and Masters champion Neil Robertson 3-0.

Mark Selby

There is a prize of £500 on offer for the highest break in the group and Selby is on course to claim that after making a break of 142, one of four centuries Selby registered during his three matches.

Robertson, who won the Masters title on Sunday evening, had a mixed day at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex.

He beat Welshman Matthew Stevens in his opening match and then lost to Mark Davis and Selby but ended his day on a high note by beating Hendry, who lost all four of his matches.

The Championship League Snooker event is a venture between Matchroom Sport and Perform where 25 of the game's finest players compete with all matches broadcast on a host of betting websites.

Each group features seven players with each man playing the other six once in a round-robin basis. Every match is the best of five and the winner gaining a point. At the end of the league phase the top four advances to that group's semi-finals where the two winners meet in the final.

Players are awarded £100 per frame in the round robin stages, and this increases to £300 per frame for the play-offs. In addition, £3,000 goes to the play-off winner, £2,000 to the runner up and £1,000 each to the two semi-finalists.

Each group winner then goes through to the final group on March 21st & 22nd where big money as well as a spot in the Sky Sports-televised Premier League Snooker is up for grabs. The two bottom players are eliminated from the competition, while the remaining four move forward to Group Four to be joined by three new players.

Play continues tomorrow at 11.00am when the remaining nine group matches take place, followed by the play-offs.